Also, unless it's as cheap as the 3DS, I fail to see how the lower price point would suddenly make the biggest difference.

I am not thinking it would reverse their fortunes in the " console wars" and put them on top. I just think it may help and that it wouldn't hurt.

Sure, their may be some confusion for consumers, but if they walk in to a store wondering what's the difference between the two it's an opportunity to explain what the gamepad does and why they want it. At least at that point they are learning about the wii u and probably about the gamepad for the first time. Is it worth an extra $50 to them or not? Well it allows ease of use, off tv play, and some games can only be played with 2 screens. Sounds cool. Oh, I just want to play kart and smash I'll pass. Either way is a good thing. Just doing this will likely create buzz and talk about a console many people don't even know exists as well as talk about its big unique feature.

I mean if Nintendo was like "yeah, the Gamepad doesn't matter to most people, that's ok" and that's the direction they were going with it (so essentially the 2DS) it would make sense but Nintendo needs focus on what they want to do with Wii U. And I didn't realize this until right now, but I just thought of how dumb it was to initially do very generic, casual-like marketing for Wii U when basically every game at launch outside of Nintendo was meant to specifically be hardcore. Which is why they're clearly taking the health-based casual gaming to this QOL thing. Which means their marketing is based on having actual focus instead of trying to appeal to everyone ever since that often backfires and no one ends up happy.

Seriously, the more I think about, the less this ideas fits at all with what Nintendo is trying to do. And yeah you can say, "it COULD help" and it could, that's certainly not impossible but it doesn't fit and there's not some huge benefit that's worth the risk.

I really don't understand the reason the Gamepad isn't only required for SOME games, the same way wiimote, or Nunchuk, or gamecube controllers worked for a lot of games,

Because the thing is I DONT want to pay for the Gamepad. I'm being forced to use the Gamepad if I buy a Wii U. The Wii U is so crazy it doesn't even work if you don't have one.
Also,a Wii U NEEDS an account system. Can't go digital without real account system. I'm not buying a wii u paying a ton of money and losing it all because it's tied to hardware.

What Nintendo has to lose is perhaps part of the so called core fans, and presumably a LOT of work that's already gone into games.

Maybe this belongs a different thread because I don't see how it applies here. Not one time did I suggest forcing people to but the gamepad seperaterly.

I don't see why people can't seperate the idea of dropping the gamepad from the idea of offering an option of a lesser version of the console to those who want it. Offering that version in no way means they can not follow all their strategies of making the gamepad more compelling or that they can't push the gamepad as a feature to sell consoles.

Their is no risk. I still haven't seen anyone articulate what risk Nintendo would be taking on by doing this. The gamepad becoming irrelevant is a fear I hear being voiced, but that's not a risk. If doing this makes the gamepad irrelevant than the gamepad needs to be dropped and keeping it is the mistake. Wouldn't you agree?

Their is no risk. I still haven't seen anyone articulate what risk Nintendo would be taking on by doing this. The gamepad becoming irrelevant is a fear I hear being voiced, but that's not a risk. If doing this makes the gamepad irrelevant than the gamepad needs to be dropped and keeping it is the mistake.

The risk that they would confuse their customers again. And yes, consumers have already gotten confused for far less than trying to explain why they should bother with the Gamepad Wii U even though they have a much cheaper console without it even though their games are focused on the Gamepad in their own advertising. Yes that would likely happen, even if Nintendo did everything they could to prevent it.

Their is no risk. I still haven't seen anyone articulate what risk Nintendo would be taking on by doing this. The gamepad becoming irrelevant is a fear I hear being voiced, but that's not a risk. If doing this makes the gamepad irrelevant than the gamepad needs to be dropped and keeping it is the mistake.

The risk that they would confuse their customers again. And yes, consumers have already gotten confused for far less than trying to explain why they should bother with the Gamepad Wii U even though they have a much cheaper console without it even though their games are focused on the Gamepad in their own advertising. Yes that would likely happen, even if Nintendo did everything they could to prevent it.

Nintendo wii u "starter set". Plays wii u games with out gamepad specific features ( Nintendoland, Game and Wario, Zombi u, Lego city undercover, wii party u, and titles marked "gamepad required" can not be played with out a gamepad).

Put that on the box, put out some press info, and your done. Put a pamphlet that list the 5 games that require a gamepad (did I miss any?). Heck you can publish the entire game library in a pamphlet showing which games require the gamepad

Heck, they should probably get the wii off the shelves too instead of adding the wii mini to the mix.

I didn't bother reading every single reply so I don't know if someone has already mentioned this but from what I read it seems you want to make the GP optional. The problem with optional controllers is that they are almost always underutilized. How many games use Wii motion+? The circle pad pro? the classic controller? Even 3d is being underutilized, since Nintendo said they had to change a link between worlds to compensate for 2ds owners. If the gamepad became optional it would never be used in a significant way ever again, not even by Nintendo.

Then as other people have mentioned making it optional basically means all the wii u is is an underpowered PS4/XBOne or a PS3/360 with a really small library of games. Not saying the gamepad is a great selling point but at least it makes the wii u stick out instead of seeming like a really generic console.

Nintendo wii u "starter set". Plays wii u games with out gamepad specific features ( Nintendoland, Game and Wario, Zombi u, Lego city undercover, wii party u, and titles marked "gamepad required" can not be played with out a gamepad).

Do you honestly see no risk in Nintendo deciding to release a console that doesn't full work right out of the box?

I didn't bother reading every single reply so I don't know if someone has already mentioned this but from what I read it seems you want to make the GP optional. The problem with optional controllers is that they are almost always underutilized. How many games use Wii motion+? The circle pad pro? the classic controller? Even 3d is being underutilized, since Nintendo said they had to change a link between worlds to compensate for 2ds owners. If the gamepad became optional it would never be used in a significant way ever again, not even by Nintendo.

Then as other people have mentioned making it optional basically means all the wii u is is an underpowered PS4/XBOne or a PS3/360 with a really small library of games. Not saying the gamepad is a great selling point but at least it makes the wii u stick out instead of seeming like a really generic console.

I hear what you are saying, but then ask yourself if right now is the gamepad being under utilized in the majority of wii u games? It is currently underutilized, do you really think it's under utilization could get even worse? Going forward I don't think making it optional will effect how much software support it gets much one way or the other. The current 6 million install base is the likely the owners who will buy the most software moving forward anyway.

The rest of your points assume the wii u with no gamepad has replaced the gamepad model as the majority. I don't think that would be the case, but if it was that's just evidence that they made the right move for the console from a business stand point.

the_shpydar wrote:
As @ogo79 said, the SNS-RZ-USA is a prime giveaway that it's not a legit retail cart.
And yes, he is (usually) always right, and he is (almost) the sexiest gamer out there (not counting me) ;)